Special Attacks in Claymore
Claymore use a relatively small number of named attacks compared to fighters in other shonen manga, and those who possess a unique technique tend to be more powerful than other Claymores. Attacks are developed by training and/or release of yoki. Offensive Techniques Blade of Evil *Users: Uranus, Roxanne *First Seen: Scene 117 A fighting style that utilizes every part of the claymore, including the hilt and cross-guard, in attacking the opponent. This technique was looked down upon by other Claymores, seeing it as a crude and desperate figthing style. Roxanne, however, was smitten with the technique (at least initially) and copied it.Claymore Manga Scene 117 Double Sword Style *Users: Undine, Deneve *First Seen: Scene 53, Anime Scene 19 As the name implies, it simply is a fighting style that utilizes two swords. This style was used by Undine, whose friend was killed protecting her. Undine, blaming her own weakness, took up her friend's sword and continuously released her yoki to gain huge muscles even outside of combat so as to get the Organization's approval in carrying two swords.Claymore Manga Scene 55 Deneve realized that Undine's muscles were a façade and unnecessary for any skillful Claymore who can control yoki.Claymore Manga Scene 51 After Undine's death in the Northern Campaign, Deneve adopts the style, taking up Undine's sword in her memory and leaving Undine's friend's sword to mark Undine's grave.Claymore Manga Scene 60 Drill Sword *Users: Jean, Helen *First Seen: Scene 47, Anime Scene 17 Jean's trademark technique which involves winding up her arm for a total of 21 rotations. As she attacks, her arm unwinds, spinning the blade in her hand. Galatea described the Drill Sword as the attack with the most striking power and velocity among all techniques in the present generation Claymores. The attack was strong enough to pierce Dauf's armor.Claymore Manga Scene 47 In Pieta, Jean showed a variant of the technique, in which the blade is allowed to spin like a propeller. This was done by orienting the blade perpendicular to the long axis of the arm.Claymore Manga Scene 53 After the Northern Campaign, Helen began to use the Drill Sword. The natural flexibility of Helen's arms allowed her to use the technique with much less preparation time as compared to Jean.Claymore Manga Scene 67 The Elegant Technique *User: Hysteria *First Seen: Scene 116 The Elegant Technique is considered to be the most beautiful technique of all warriors. According to Miria, Hysteria's ability is similar to her Phantom Mirage. It requires the a brief burst of yoki to isntantaneously augment agility. Hysteria uses this technique offensively and the proximity of the after-image produced is such that it appears as if Hysteria had slipped through her opponent's body.Claymore Manga Scene 116 Quicksword *User: Irene, Clare *First Seen: Scene 18, Anime Scene 13 One of the most powerful techniques in the Claymore universe, the Quicksword is a barrage of strikes too fast to follow,Claymore Manga Scene 18 which can take down the most skilled of opponents. While it failed to penetrate Dauf's armorClaymore Manga Scene 43 and Teresa managed to block Irene's Quicksword easily,Claymore Manga Scene 19 Ophelia,Claymore Manga Scene 40 RigardoClaymore Manga Scene 59 and two other Pieta Awakened BeingsClaymore Manga Scene 54Claymore Anime Scene 21 have all fallen because of this technique. As seen against Ophelia, it also provides a nearly impenetrable defense.Claymore Manga Scene 36 Irene teaches it to Clare, explaining that Clare must release all her yoki within her sword arm, while preventing it from taking over the rest of her body. Naturally, the Quicksword needs great strength and a calm mind, as Irene possesses.Claymore Manga Scene 37 To speed up Clare's proficiency with Quicksword, Irene severs her own arm and orders Clare to reattatch it to her own body.Claymore Manga Scene 38 After this, the Quicksword becomes Clare's strongest attack, as she learns to turn the wild slashes into tightly controlled strikes.Claymore Manga Scene 48 Rippling Sword *User: Ophelia *First Seen: Scene 35, Anime Scene 13 Ophelia claimed to have developed this technique just to acquire a nickname, expressing jealousy for those who have them. She adds, however that the nickname hasn't become well-known as "most of the people who've seen it are dead." Ophelia uses the flexible quality of her body to vibrate and undulate her sword, making it resemble a rippling snake. This illusion makes her blows almost impossible to anticipate or block,Claymore Manga Scene 35 though Irene was shown to be able to easily deflect them with the Quicksword. Sensory Control *User: Raftela *First Seen: Scene 107 While focusing her yoki throughout her body, Raftela can blur an opponent's vision and "dive into the confused minds of her opponents, and then amplify and send the opponent into a state of insanity, at the deep thoughts sleeping inside her opponent's heart."Claymore Manga Scene 107 Shadow Hunter *User: Nina *First Seen: Scene 65 The technique entails Nina's blade following a specific yoki, slashing continuously until the yoki is extinguished.Claymore Manga Scene 65 The blade's movement can be surmised to be quite fast, as it managed to wound Cassandra, a former No. 1 who presumably possesses a good amount of agility, albeit it has been stated that her skills match only those of an average No. 5 when not using a specific technique. The technique leaves the user open for attacks, however, and requires Nina to have ample backup to protect her while the technique is active. Strong Sword *User: Rachel *First Seen: Scene 69 The technique itself has no name. It was Riful who gave the technique a name during her fight with Audrey and Rachel. The attack involves the user digging her sword into the ground, building up potential energy, and then releasing the strike. The end result is a slash with much greater than normally possible. Rachel used this attack to cut through Riful's tough body. For added versatility, she can use Audrey's sword to brace against. Riful criticizes this technique as being too obvious and having too long a set-up period.Claymore Manga Scene 69 Windcutter *Users: Flora, Clare *First Seen: Scene 51, Anime Scene 18 A lightning-fast attack created by "Windcutter Flora" in which the user draws her sword, slashes and resheaths her sword in an instant. While slower than the Quicksword, it is more accurate and fundamentally requires no yoki to perform, allowing the user to perform continuously without tiring. After the Northern Campaign, Clare adopts the technique. Defensive Techniques Acute Yoki Sensing * Users: Teresa, Clare *First Seen: Scene 28, Anime Scene 7 Involves sensing the flow, size and movement of yoki within a yoma or Claymore, thus giving the user the ability to predict attacks and defend accordingly. First seen used by Teresa, and later adopted by Clare, who practiced the move at length in order to battle Awakened Beings, and eventually, Priscilla.Claymore Manga Scene 28 Yoki Manipulation *User: Galatea, Clare, Cynthia, Yuma, Jean, Renée *First Seen: Scene 3, Anime Scene 1 At the beginning of the series, when Clare rescued Raki from a yoma, she took a hit through the abdomen. After removing the yoma's severed arm, Clare used yoki to close the wound.Claymore Manga Scene 23 Claymores can also detect, control and align their yoki with their targets, making possible altering trajectories of attacks (Galatea),Claymore Manga Scene 44 assisting healing and regeneration of others (Cynthia), and prevent or reverse a Claymore's awakening (Galatea, Clare, Jean). Techniques Classified as Both Offensive and Defensive Gentle Sword *User: Audrey *First Seen: Scene 69 The technique itself has no name. It was Riful who gave the technique a name during her fight with Audrey and Rachel. The technique allows the user to deflect and redirect attacks to any direction she chooses. The technique can be used purely as a pure defensive measure, as well as in an offensive manner. It can also be used as a brace for Rachel's "Strong Sword." Phantom Mirage *User: Miria *First Seen: Scene 28, Anime Scene 10 Miria's signature move involves the release of an exceptionally brief and intense burst of yoki, letting her move so fast that afterimages remain in her adversary's vision; thus, the origin of her nickname. The Phantom Mirage is limited to 20-30 uses in a fight, due to intense strain on mind and body. After the Northern Campaign, Miria displays a new version which does not rely on yoki release, trading speed for a slight increase in controlled movements and, above all else, near-limitless use. Soul Link *Users: Luciela and Rafaela (failed attempt), Alicia and Beth, unnamed twin trainees *First Seen: Scene 62 Two Claymores align their yoki so that one can "entrust her soul" to the other, allowing her to fight as an Awakened Being without losing her humanity. She can revert to being human after the battle when the "soul" is released back into her body. The original experiment failed with Luciela, when her younger sister, Rafaela, accidentally broke their link. The fully awakened Luciela, then, became an Abyssal One. The second experiment used identical twins, Alicia and Beth, raised by the Organization from infancy. Galatea thought this was a repeat of the first, and used the phrase "Soul Link," but Rubel revealed that the twins have lost almost all individuality, with almost no sense of self or intellect. They were essentially one merged soul—a two-body Claymore in effect. Here, the link is not as easily broken, unless one the twins is incapacitated or dies. References Category:Yoki Category:Special Attacks in Claymore